Roccaraso ski resort overrun by crowds
Calls to curb overtourism amid chaos in Roccaraso.
The popular ski resort of Roccaraso in Italy's central Abruzzo region was besieged on Sunday as more than 10,000 day-trippers poured off buses onto the slopes.
The visitors arrived on 250 coaches from Naples and the surrounding Campania region, attracted by the low cost offers - for as little as €20 - promoted by travel agencies on TikTok.
The busloads of tourists caused the numbers on the slopes to swell to 20,000 people, news agency ANSA reports.
Videos on social media showed crowds, lengthy queues and even people urinating on the ski slopes, with traffic gridlock prompting the town's mayor to call for the army to intervene.
Roccaraso dopo il passaggio degli Unni pic.twitter.com/WykEnSSCh6— Francesco Borrelli (@NotizieFrance) January 27, 2025
The chaos caused by the hordes of day-tripping ski enthusiasts, including the blocking of the state road leading to the resort, sparked a debate about the negative effects of over
Calls to curb overtourism amid chaos in Roccaraso.
The popular ski resort of Roccaraso in Italy's central Abruzzo region was besieged on Sunday as more than 10,000 day-trippers poured off buses onto the slopes.
The visitors arrived on 250 coaches from Naples and the surrounding Campania region, attracted by the low cost offers - for as little as €20 - promoted by travel agencies on TikTok.
The busloads of tourists caused the numbers on the slopes to swell to 20,000 people, news agency ANSA reports.
Videos on social media showed crowds, lengthy queues and even people urinating on the ski slopes, with traffic gridlock prompting the town's mayor to call for the army to intervene.
The chaos caused by the hordes of day-tripping ski enthusiasts, including the blocking of the state road leading to the resort, sparked a debate about the negative effects of overtourism.
The controversy was spurred further after video footage showed the resort strewn with plastic rubbish, abandoned snow sleds and food after the crowds had left.
Roccaraso mayor Francesco Di Donato said that what occurred over the weekend was "not a tourism problem but first and foremost a problem of safety and public health".
Calling for "extraordinary measures", Di Donato told ANSA: "Roccaraso must not be sealed off, but it must be carefully protected".
Photo Il Mattino
